The Advertising Standards Authority is to criticise British Gas this week for running a misleading ad about rival EDF that 'denigrated' its French parent.
The newspaper ad, which aimed to show the benefits customers would lose by switching to EDF, pointed out in bold that the company was 'formerly known as Electricite de France,' a phrase the ASA said was 'denigratory, as it suggested the origin of the product was France'.
A British Gas spokesman said the ruling 'is political correctness gone mad', adding that it is calling for an independent review.
The ASA did not uphold a public complaint that the ad was xenophobic.
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